Mod 8 Video Review

Other than the first required video, the videos I chose to watch for this blog post were The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure and Cairo Museum.

I chose the Cairo video because I’ve always been fascinated with the Egyptian culture and art. For the Greek Art video, I chose that because of my love for Greek mythology. I saw “Greek art” in the title and figured it must have something to do with mythology.

The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure:

The video showed how much Greek artists made figures of human much more idealistic than realistic. Compare that to the Roman artists who, according to the book, would make their pieces realistic to be more associable with the viewer. The Greeks focused on, and idealized, the Olympic figures which influenced the imagery they created and the architecture they designed.

More Human Than Human:

The video really showed me how much imagery truly dominates our lives and the world we live in. The statement that images tell us how and what to think and how and work to feel really made me think about what imagery affects me in my life. For me, nothing beats a perfect picture of an in-action sports photo. Getting that shot at the perfect time…there is nothing better.

It also, primarily, shows how the human body has been depicted over time in art and imagery in both the art world and more natural world. The one piece the video touches on in regards to the human body depicted in art is Venus of Willendorf which exaggerates the woman’s stomach and breasts in the form of a fertility sculpture. The book (page 319) said that exaggerated pieces like that would be created in hopes of a child being delivered to the person in possession of it.

I learned in this video that cultures all over the world have their own unique take on what the human body should look like. Some are more realistic than others.

Cairo Museum:

What I found fascinating in this video is the fact that a lot of the artifacts are not on display. They are kept in the basement away from the casual eye. The fact that the artifacts have survived all these years give people interested in ancient Egyptian culture a chance to look into the past. So much has been preserved by the people of Egypt, it makes you wonder what other countries have artifacts that are being locked away from visitors. The idea of things are being held from you just makes you want to see them more. It’s such a great look into the history of Egypt.

Overall, I enjoyed the Cairo Museum video the most because I felt it taught me more in a shorter amount of time. The More Human Than Human film was actually pretty boring to me. Still, it’s always helpful to have a visual image of what you’re learning rather than just reading it in a text book.